London Book Publishers Accepting Submissions
Every London publishing house below was checked on its own website in October 2026: who is open, who needs an agent, what to send and how long replies take.
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
London publishers open to authors
Publishing companies in London that read proposals without an agent.
- 1
Verso
Radical nonfiction proposals by email; no reply in two months means no.
Reply: About 8 weeks
- 2
Oneworld
Nonfiction proposals on its form, from first-time and established authors.
Reply: Not stated
- 3
Jo Fletcher Books
Science fiction, fantasy and horror from unagented writers by email.
Reply: About 24 weeks
- 4
Hurst
Serious nonfiction on current affairs, history and politics.
Reply: Not stated
- 5
Pluto Press
Radical nonfiction from an independent, worker-led press.
Reply: About 8 weeks
- 6
Faber
Poetry only, with no agent needed: six poems.
Reply: About 8 weeks
- 7
Ryland Peters & Small
Illustrated nonfiction, including cookbooks, by email proposal.
Reply: 4 to 6 weeks
All London publishers
Filter by what you write and how you want to submit. Open publishers come first; every card shows when we last checked it.
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Traditional publisherFaberChildren's, Fiction, Literary fictionLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Faber & Faber now accepts unsolicited submissions of poetry only, and poets do not need an agent. Send six examples of your work; no reply within eight weeks means no. It does not take unsolicited fiction, nonfiction, plays, screenplays or children's books.Some imprints unagentedSend: Poetry only: six poems8 wks replyest. 1929View profile →
Mid-sizeFrances LincolnChildren's, Art and Photography, Diverse and BIPOC voicesLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Frances Lincoln, part of The Quarto Group, takes illustrated nonfiction and children's book proposals from authors by email. Proposals go to Quarto's subject addresses with a signed Submission Agreement. Silence after three months means no.No agent neededSend: Full proposal by email with a signed Quarto agreementEmail13 wks replyest. 1977View profile →
Mid-sizeHardie GrantChildren's, Cookbook, Diverse and BIPOC voicesLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Hardie Grant reads adult proposals, including cookbooks and travel, through Submittable. Its UK office reviews unsolicited proposals by email. Send an outline, chapter outline, sample chapter and visuals with a cover letter. Its Australian children's list is open only to Australian creators from marginalized backgrounds.No agent neededSend: Outline, chapter outline, sample chapter and visualsSubmittable, Email, PostReply time not statedView profile →
Independent publishing companyHurstNonfiction, Academic, HistoryLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Hurst Publishers takes proposals for serious adult nonfiction straight from authors by email. It specialises in current affairs, history, politics, Islamic studies and conflict, and asks for a proposal of at least 1,500 words.No agent neededSend: A proposal of at least 1,500 words with sample chaptersEmailReply time not statedest. 1969View profile →Big 5 publishing houseJo Fletcher BooksFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Jo Fletcher Books is open to unagented science fiction, fantasy and horror by email. Put a brief covering letter in the email and attach the first 10,000 words or three chapters plus a one-page synopsis. If you hear nothing within six months, the answer is no.No agent neededSend: Letter + first 10,000 words + one-page synopsisEmail24 wks replyView profile →Independent publishing companyOneworldChildren's, Academic, FictionLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Oneworld Publications is open to nonfiction proposals from authors without an agent. Fill in its nonfiction form and email it to submissions@oneworld-publications.com. All fiction, including its Point Blank, Magpie and Rock the Boat lists, is closed for now.No agent neededSend: Nonfiction proposal form by emailEmailReply time not statedest. 1986View profile →
Independent publishing companyPluto PressNonfiction, Academic, HistoryLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Pluto Press is open to nonfiction proposals by email at submissions@plutobooks.com, following the proposal guidelines on its submissions page. The independent, worker-led London publisher replies within up to two months. It does not publish novels or poetry.No agent neededSend: Proposal following its guidelines, by emailEmail8 wks replyest. 1969View profile →
Mid-sizeProfile BooksNonfiction, Business, FictionLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Profile Books accepts unsolicited nonfiction only from published authors (not self-published) and university academics. Send an outline, a table of contents and one sample chapter of up to 2,500 words. It is not accepting unsolicited fiction or poetry, and it never charges reading fees.No agent neededSend: Outline + contents + sample chapter up to 2,500 wordsEmailReply time not statedest. 1996View profile →
Independent publishing companyRyland Peters & SmallChildren's, Art and Photography, CookbookLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Ryland Peters & Small, an independent London publisher of illustrated nonfiction, reads proposals for books including cookbooks. Send a covering letter and synopsis, contents list, short bio and an optional sample, not a complete manuscript, to enquiries@rps.co.uk. No reply within four to six weeks means no.Send: Letter, synopsis, contents and bio; no full manuscriptsEmail4 to 6 wks replyest. 1995View profile →Independent publishing companyTitan BooksFiction, Art and Photography, ComicsLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Titan Books, in London, is open to nonfiction proposals for film, TV, art and comics reference books. For fiction and comics it reads only a brief synopsis with a covering letter, not a manuscript, and it is not looking for general fiction right now. Most of its fiction comes through agents.Some imprints unagentedSend: Nonfiction proposal; fiction: synopsis and letter onlyReply time not statedest. 1982View profile →
Independent publishing companyVersoNonfiction, History, MemoirLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Verso Books is open to nonfiction proposals by email from authors without an agent. Send a proposal of up to 15 pages with an overview, chapter summaries, your background, markets, competing titles and a timetable. No reply within two months means no. It does not consider unsolicited fiction.No agent neededSend: Proposal up to 15 pages by emailEmail8 wks replyest. 1970View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseGollanczFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Gollancz reads science fiction, fantasy and horror only through literary agents. Its parent, Orion, does not consider unsolicited manuscripts. Gollancz has run open submission windows in the past, but none is open now, so the route in today is an agent.Send: Through a literary agent onlyReply time not statedest. 1927View profile →Independent publishing companyNosy CrowChildren's, Fiction, IndependentLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Nosy Crow does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or proposals. The London children's publisher reads agented work and sometimes runs time-limited open calls, announced on its blog.Send: Through a literary agent, or an open call when one runsThrough an agentReply time not statedView profile →
Big 5 publishing houseOrbitFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Orbit UK reads science fiction and fantasy through literary agents only and cannot respond to unsolicited material. Hachette UK's Future Bookshelf occasionally runs group-wide open submission periods, which are the only other route.Send: Through a literary agent onlyReply time not statedest. 1974View profile →
Major publishing houseUsborneChildren's, Fiction, IndependentLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Usborne accepts fiction manuscripts only through literary agents and does not read unsolicited work. Its baby, picture, activity, novelty and nonfiction books are written in-house, so it takes no submissions for those. It suggests finding an agent through The Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.Send: Fiction through a literary agent onlyThrough an agentReply time not statedest. 1973View profile →
Independent publishing companyAndersen PressChildren's, Fiction, IndependentLondon, UKClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Andersen Press is currently unable to accept unsolicited manuscripts or book proposals. The independent London children's publisher, home of Elmer and Little Princess, publishes picture books, fiction and graphic novels. Watch its contact page for changes, or work with a literary agent.Send: No unsolicited manuscripts or proposalsNo reopening date givenReply time not statedest. 1976View profile →
Independent publishing companyBedford Square PublishersFiction, Independent, Mystery and ThrillerLondon, UKClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Bedford Square Publishers is closed to submissions as of October 2026 and gives no reopening date. When open, it reads fiction and nonfiction, and silence after one month means no.Send: Closed for now; check its submissions pageNo reopening date given4 wks replyest. 2022View profile →
Independent publishing companyGranta BooksLiterary fiction, Fiction, MemoirLondon, UKClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Granta Books does not accept unsolicited book proposals or manuscripts. The London publisher of literary fiction, memoir, reportage and poetry works through agents. Its sister Granta magazine reads single stories and essays in set months, with a small fee and free low-income places.Send: No unsolicited proposals or manuscriptsNo reopening date givenReply time not statedView profile →
Major publishing houseLittle TigerChildren's, Fiction, Middle gradeLondon, UKClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Little Tiger Group is unable to accept unsolicited submissions. The London children's publisher, owned by Penguin Random House, publishes board books, picture books, chapter books, novels and nonfiction. Watch its guidelines page for any change, or work with a literary agent.Send: No unsolicited submissionsNo reopening date givenReply time not statedest. 1987View profile →
Independent publishing companyPushkin PressChildren's, Fiction, IndependentLondon, UKClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Pushkin Press is not accepting unsolicited submissions and will not respond to manuscripts or pitches. The independent London publisher still considers translation projects, so translators can query by email using the address on its about page.Send: Closed; translation queries onlyNo reopening date givenReply time not statedest. 1997View profile → What do Open, Closed and Agent needed mean?
- Open now: the publisher's own site says it is reading submissions today, in at least one genre listed.
- Closed: not reading new submissions right now. We show the reopening date when the publisher gives one.
- Agent needed: it only reads manuscripts sent by a literary agent.
Submit with confidence
Four checks before you send anything to a publisher, whichever list you use.
Check it on their own site
Guidelines change. Read the publisher's own submissions page on the day you send.
Never pay to be published
A traditional publisher pays you. If a company asks for money, it is a paid service.
Send exactly what they ask
Query, proposal or sample chapters: follow the format and word count to the letter.
Track every submission
Note the date, the reply time and whether no reply means no before you follow up.
London is home to more publishers than anywhere else in the UK, from Big Five imprints to small radical presses. We list 20 London book publishers, and 11 of them are open to submissions today. Every listing was checked on the publisher's own site and shows whether you need an agent, what to send and how long a reply takes. Use the filters to find publishers in London that read work sent directly by authors. Each profile also shows the date we last checked the publisher's own page, so you can see how current the rules are.
Book publishers in London that read unagented work
Many book publishers in London still read proposals sent directly by authors, especially for nonfiction. Verso and Pluto Press take radical and political nonfiction by email, Oneworld reads nonfiction on its proposal form and Hurst reads serious current affairs and history. In genre fiction, Jo Fletcher Books reads science fiction, fantasy and horror from unagented writers.
London publishers that need an agent
The largest publishing companies in London mostly read through agents. Gollancz and Orbit read science fiction and fantasy only from agents, and Pushkin Press and Granta Books are closed to unsolicited work. Some London houses keep one narrow door open: Faber reads poetry without an agent, and Titan Books reads film, TV and comics reference proposals.
Book publishing companies in London by genre
For children’s books, look at Usborne, Nosy Crow and Andersen Press, though most read agented work or are closed for now. For illustrated cookbooks and lifestyle books, Ryland Peters & Small and Hardie Grant read proposals. For literary fiction and memoir, Granta Books works through agents.
Do you need to live in London?
No. London publishers take work from authors anywhere, and their rules are the same wherever you live. What matters is fit and whether a house reads unagented work. Use the filters on this page and read each profile before you send anything.
How we check these listings
Every publisher on this page was checked on its own website, and we review each listing every month. We list only traditional publishers, which pay authors and do not charge them to publish. If a house adds fees, packages or a paid route, we say so on its profile or leave it out of the directory.
Publishing companies London writers ask about
If you searched for publishing companies London or book publishing companies London, start with the houses that read your kind of book directly. Nonfiction writers have the most open doors, through Verso, Pluto, Oneworld, Hurst and Profile. Fiction writers usually need an agent, except for genre writers at Jo Fletcher Books and poets at Faber.
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Questions authors ask
Answers use the live data on this page.
Which London book publishers accept unagented submissions?
On this page, Verso, Pluto Press, Oneworld, Hurst, Profile Books and Hardie Grant read nonfiction directly from authors, and Jo Fletcher Books reads unagented science fiction, fantasy and horror. Faber reads poetry without an agent. Most large London fiction houses read only agented work.
What are the biggest publishers in London?
Many of the largest publishing companies in London belong to big groups, such as Gollancz at Orion and Orbit at Little, Brown, both part of Hachette UK. These houses mostly read through agents. Independents such as Faber, Profile Books and Oneworld also publish widely from London.
Do London publishers charge authors?
No traditional publisher on this page charges authors to publish. Profile Books, for example, says it never asks for reading fees. Any London press that asks you to pay to publish a standard book is offering a paid service, and we leave those out of the directory.
Browse more:UK book publishersAll book publishersSelf-publishing services
How we verify listings. We list traditional publishers only: no hybrid, vanity or paid self-publishing companies. Every listing is checked on the publisher's own website and rechecked every month. This page was last updated 25 Oct 2026; next review November 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us.
